Balchão, or balichow, is a Goan dish consisting of fresh fried prawns in a spicy and vinegary sauce.

Ingredients

Balchão is a method of cooking fish (de peixe), prawns (de camarão), or pork (de porco) in a spicy and sour tomato-chili sauce. It resembles pickling and can be made days in advance, then served without heating. Some Goans make prawn balchão in tamarind sauce. Traditional balchão uses a paste made from dried shrimp known as galmbo in Konkani. Its ingredients may include prawns, oil, onions chopped fine, tomatoes, garlic paste or cloves, ginger paste or ginger, dried red chillies, cumin seed, mustard seeds, cinnamon, cloves, sugar, vinegar and salt.

Preparation

Ginger, garlic and roasted spices are ground into a paste with the vinegar. The prawns are fried in oil until opaque and removed from the pan. Then onions and tomatoes are fried, and the spice-vinegar paste, sugar, and salt are added. This is fried until the oil begins to separate from the masala. The prawns are then added back, and the combination is cooked a few more minutes. Balchão is usually served with plain hot boiled rice. It keeps well under refrigeration.

History

Balchão was introduced to Goa by the Portuguese during Portuguese Goa, most likely from Malacca (today Melaka).

Preparation

Catholic homes may use coconut vinegar for its acidic sharpness, while Hindu families may use cane vinegar to make it milder. It is now common to use white vinegar or malt vinegar.